Chapter 694 - 695: Malicious Slander

BANG!

An elder from the Lin family, who was only at the Tier Eight First Layer Peak, was caught in the dense barrage of sand. His protective Profound Yuan shattered, and a single grain of sand tore straight through his arm, sending a spray of blood into the air.

Everyone paled. The black sand was terrifying—it could even pierce the body of a Martial Emperor. Although the elder from the Lin family had the lowest cultivation, he was still at the Tier Eight First Layer Peak. If the sand could pierce his body, it could certainly harm most of the Tier Eight Second Layer Martial Emperors present.

"Everyone, group together!"

Long Yuan and the others could no longer maintain their composure and shouted frantically.

The giant waves of sand were too terrifying. If they were to split up, they would have no way to defend themselves. Their only hope for survival was to group together.

RUMBLE!

Suddenly, giant waves of sand erupted on all four sides, rising like massive walls to trap everyone in the center. Even the sky above their heads was sealed off by the surging sand, forming a sealed chamber.

The sky grew dim. A deathly silence descended, and a heavy sense of dread weighed on everyone’s hearts.

"This is bad!"

Everyone was terrified. Now that they were completely trapped, it was clear that no one would escape unscathed.

The aura emanating from the countless gathered grains of sand was so intense that even the leaders of the major powers felt their hearts pound, sensing a mortal threat.

"We need to break through and create a tunnel! Everyone, charge!" Long Yuan said urgently.

As soon as he spoke, a cone-shaped magical artifact appeared in his hand. It began to spin rapidly and, with a BOOM, blasted a hole several meters deep into the wall of sand pressing down on them.

But that was as far as it went. The constant resistance from the sand weakened the cone’s momentum, and it felt like it was losing its power.

Long Yuan’s heart sank. He knew perfectly well how powerful that strike was—an ordinary Tier Eight Third Layer Martial Emperor might not have been able to block it, yet it couldn’t even break through this wall of sand.

Yu Chi Bugong and the others also stared in horror.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

They all attacked at once. The hole, which had been only a few meters deep, rapidly expanded until an opening several meters in diameter was formed. SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH! Figures shot through the opening at their fastest speeds.

Ye Xuan flew out with the rest of the group. WHOOSH! Just as he was halfway through, a hidden force suddenly struck at him from the side. Ye Xuan’s eyes narrowed, and with a slight flash, his body shifted just enough to dodge the covert attack and escape the sealed chamber.

BOOM!

The moment Ye Xuan cleared it, the hole sealed shut.

"AH!"

A blood-curdling scream rang out, and everyone realized that one person hadn’t made it out in time.

"Zhou Sheng."

The expression of Zhou Yuetian, the ancestor from Celestial Capital Prefecture, changed drastically. The one who hadn’t escaped was an elder from the Zhou family, Zhou Sheng. He was at the early Tier Eight Second Layer, but not skilled in speed, so he ended up at the back and was instantly crushed by the surging sand.

By the time Zhou Yuetian could even think of saving him, it was already too late. The black sand, packed as tight as stone, squeezed together without a single gap. Great gouts of fresh blood gushed out from it.

Then, with a rumble, the mass of sand collapsed to the ground, forming several mounds. Not a trace of Zhou Sheng remained—not a scrap of clothing, not a shard of bone.

"Damn it all!" Zhou Yuetian roared in fury, his eyes turning crimson.

Ye Xuan was secretly alarmed as well. ’If I hadn’t dodged in time,’ he thought, ’if that hidden attack had struck and made me hesitate for even a second, my fate would have been no better than Zhou Sheng’s.’

He scanned the crowd. Everyone’s face was ashen, and they all appeared to be in shock. Nothing seemed out of place.

But Ye Xuan knew better. ’That hidden attack was definitely someone trying to kill me,’ he thought. And he knew at a glance that it had been Yu Chi Bugong.

’Given his position at the time, and with his level of power, he was the only one who could have launched an attack that would have escaped the notice of Xiao Wuji and the others.’

Not far away, Yu Chi Bugong’s Profound Sense swept coldly over Ye Xuan. He sneered internally, ’Hmph. To think that brat managed to dodge even in that situation. He’s as slippery as an eel. But he won’t be so lucky next time.’

But the thought had barely faded from his mind when he heard Ye Xuan’s cold voice. Ye Xuan stared at him and said, "Patriarch Yuchi, back in that tunnel, when everyone was fleeing for their lives, you dared to launch a sneak attack against me. What were your intentions?"

As his words fell, everyone froze for a moment before turning to look at Yu Chi Bugong. The faces of Xiao Wuji and his men changed drastically, and they looked at Ye Xuan, clearly unsure if he was telling the truth.

Yu Chi Bugong never expected Ye Xuan to call him out so directly. He was stunned for a second before snorting, "Brat, what are you talking about? I have no idea what you mean. Don’t just spout nonsense. If I wanted to make a move on you, would I need to do it in secret?"

Ye Xuan sneered. "Patriarch Yu Chi Bugong, I used to think you were a man of some stature. I never thought you’d lack even the courage to admit what you’ve done. You truly have my contempt. When I was halfway through the tunnel, you blasted a hidden attack at me from the side. If I hadn’t happened to glance back, I’d probably be dead with my eyes wide open, just like Elder Zhou Sheng."

"Bullshit!" Yu Chi Bugong roared. "Don’t you dare spout such lies, brat! When you were halfway through, Elder Xiao Canglan and Patriarch Xiao Wuji of the Xiao family were in front of and behind you. Elder Xiao Ming and the others were protecting you on your right, and Elder Lin Bo of the Lin family was on your left. If I’d really done what you said, how could they possibly not have noticed?"

"Haha." Ye Xuan burst into laughter, his face dripping with sarcasm. "Let’s not even discuss whether you did it. In a moment of such chaos, how is it that Patriarch Yuchi had the leisure to observe my situation so closely? You even perceived exactly where Patriarch Xiao and the others were in relation to me. If you say you weren’t the one who attacked, then who was?"

Xiao Wuji’s expression changed in an instant. He stared coldly at Yu Chi Bugong and said in a frigid tone, "That’s right. Patriarch Yuchi, you seem to have been paying us quite a bit of attention. Perhaps you could offer an explanation?"

The others also had strange looks on their faces.

In the chaos of the escape, everyone had been focused on fleeing. Besides the people from their own factions, they had paid little attention to anyone else. What Yu Chi Bugong said was indeed highly suspicious.

A cold smile touched the corners of Yu Chi Bugong’s lips. "What’s so strange about it?" he scoffed. "I’m the kind of person who likes to keep a clear eye on my surroundings at all times. Do I really need to explain that to you?"

Ye Xuan scoffed. "Such a high-sounding excuse, Patriarch Yuchi. In that case, can you tell me the position of the experts from Lingkong Cave, who were to your lower left at the time?"

Yu Chi Bugong’s expression faltered. At that moment, he had been completely focused on watching Ye Xuan, waiting for an opportunity to strike. How could he possibly remember the formation of the experts from Lingkong Cave?

He could only snort and say, "At the time, Cave Master Chou Gong and his people were to my lower left. Of course I knew that. But why should I have to tell you?"

The moment he said this, strange expressions appeared on the faces of Chou Gong and the members of the Long family.

Ye Xuan immediately burst out laughing. The laughter gradually died down, and his gaze turned cold. "Patriarch Yu Chi Bugong, the experts from Lingkong Cave were clearly to your upper left at the time. The ones to your lower left were Patriarch Long Yuan and the Long family. You just claimed to be so fond of keeping track of your surroundings, and Patriarch Long Yuan was much closer to you than I was. What, you failed to notice even that?"

Ye Xuan’s face was a mask of ridicule, and his tone was dripping with sarcasm.

Yu Chi Bugong’s expression turned utterly foul, and he was momentarily speechless. He huffed, "My attention was on my right. I neglected to pay as much attention to my left. Is that so strange?"

The explanation was incredibly flimsy, but since Yu Chi Bugong refused to admit to anything, there was nothing anyone could do.

Xiao Wuji’s gaze grew colder, but a cold sweat broke out on his back. ’I can’t believe Yu Chi Bugong actually attacked Ye Xuan,’ he thought. ’Thank goodness the ambush failed.’

He grew inwardly vigilant and exchanged a look with the Grand Elder. Seeing the solemn look in each other’s eyes, they both raised their guard to the absolute maximum.

Seeing how tense the atmosphere had become, Patriarch Long Yuan of the Long family stepped forward to smooth things over. "Alright, since Master Xuan Ye is unharmed, let’s not waste our energy on such trivial matters at a time like this."

Ye Xuan shook his head. "Patriarch Long Yuan, this is no small matter. Earlier, Elder Zhou Sheng of the Zhou family perished in the sand. Elder Zhou Sheng was a Tier Eight Second Layer Martial Emperor with profound strength. How could he have fallen so easily? Look at Elder Lin Qiuran of the Lin family—he was only at the Peak of First Layer and had already been injured, yet he was able to escape safely. So how could Elder Zhou Sheng fail to escape? Perhaps he was also ambushed by someone with ulterior motives."

Although Ye Xuan had said "someone," his eyes remained fixed on Yu Chi Bugong, stopping just short of calling him the murderer outright.

"You’re talking out of your ass!" Yu Chi Bugong bellowed, his eyes flashing with terrifying killing intent. "Elder Zhou Sheng’s death has nothing to do with me!"

"Who’s to say? Everyone had better be careful. This mysterious land is fraught with danger. Dying in an accident is one thing, but to be killed by the schemes of some malicious person would be far too unworthy a death."

Everyone looked at Yu Chi Bugong with strange expressions.

"You..."

Yu Chi Bugong was so furious he felt like his lungs would explode, but he was at a loss for words.

THUD!

Just then, the earth suddenly trembled. A primordial aura began to emanate from below, drawing everyone’s attention.

Everyone could sense a terrifying presence stirring, as if awakening from deep within the earth.

"Everyone, be on your guard. Something strange is happening to the sand. We need to leave this area first," Long Yuan said, his expression grave.

The faces of the others were also incredibly grim.

The major powers had explored this mysterious land on more than one occasion. In the past, they had encountered one or two Sand Giants at most. But they had never witnessed a scene like this, where the sand of an entire wasteland rose up in giant waves. Each of them was inwardly shocked, their faces devoid of any ease.

Figures immediately began to sprint wildly across the wasteland.